Technical Difficulties
by Genisay
Summary: Two weeks after X's most recent defeat of Sigma, the Maverick Hunters find themselves with nothing to do. The Hunters are glad for the respite from battle, but X can't help but feel that Sigma may be about to launch his most devious plot yet.
1. Data

**Mega Man X Episode 10: Technical Difficulties**

Written By Genisay

(Note: This fic was started before the release of MMX7, so therefore all story plots from that game on are not mentioned and have no affect on the fic. This story takes place 4 years after the end of MMX6.)

**Chapter 1: Data**

Maverick Hunter H.Q. 5:01 A.M, Jan. 14

X woke with a start, bolting upright, whacking his head on the clear, glass lid to his Sleeping Chamber. The room was completely silent, except for the faint whirring of unoccupied machines. The silvery-hard Sleeping Chambers of other Reploids, lining the long corridors of the 17th Unit's barracks, could be seen through the adjacent window of the Commander's chamber. Soft lunar light poured in through a small pane of glass near the ceiling.

As he rubbed his fingers through the short, unruly, brown hair over the slightly tender spot on his forehead, X wearily aroused his internal clock. Almost like a sixth sense, his mechanical mind told him that it was 5:02 am.

_Another restless night_. He thought.

He knew the drill, there was no point in trying to fall asleep again; he wouldn't be able to. This had been a reoccurring event for the last two weeks. _Since the last battle with Sigma…?_ X wondered absentmindedly.

With a heavy sigh, X pushed a button on the inside wall of his compartment, causing the lid to open with a small hiss, and hauled himself out of his Sleeping Chamber, being careful not to wake anyone else.

_They fight hard, they need their sleep. Just wish I could get some._

X grabbed his helmet off a stand near his Sleeping Chamber. The metallic headgear was done in cobalt, with a light blue raised crest of metal down the center that started half way up the forehead guard; the guard extending down his face until coming to a point just above the bridge of his nose; and stopped halfway down the back. In about the middle of the forehead guard was a rounded off, magenta, triangle shaped gem-core with one of its ends embedded in the light blue strip. Besides protecting his head, the helmet also contained a built in communicator.

Placing the helmet back on his head, X took one last look at his Sleeping Chamber, recalling how strange it had been to sleep in the pod at first, when the Hunters had established their Head Quarters, rather then in an ordinary bed. But after a few months he had gotten used to the idea, although he still slept in a regular bed when ever he spent a few days visiting his good scientist friend, Dr. Cain.

Cain was the owner and founder of Cain Labs, a huge corporation that lead the world in robotics technology. The scientist had also started the Maverick Hunters; an organization specialized in dealing with rogue Reploids; Mavericks; and invented the living machines called Reploids; robots with human souls and emotions, based on, but not quite identical to, X's design.

Although not X's creator, Dr. Cain was the man responsible for X's activation, and had given X a home for the first few years of his life after his awakening. X had no recollection of his past and had been emotionally unstable at first; often slipping into severe depressions for months at a time; but the old scientist had remained patient with him and had become an invaluable friend. Cain had also taken in the mysterious Zero after the red robot's enigmatic accident, which had left him devoid of any memories. Zero was now X's best friend and hunting partner. Both robots were always welcome at Cain Labs.

X wandered through the empty platinum gray halls of the Maverick Hunter Head Quarters, not really expecting to find anyone else awake at this ungodly hour. Unless there was an emergency, not even Zero got up this early.

_Shoot,_ Joked X. _I bet the Mavericks don't even rise with the sun!_

After exploring the hall had proven futile, X finally found himself in the command center, a massive room that had computer equipment every where. The Command Center was the hub of all Hunter activities; it was used for every thing from debriefing to containing the communications systems.

In the center of the room stood a large, round shaped device, starting with an immense base and decreasing in diameter as it's smooth metal sides reached the apex. Visible just on the inside of the open top was a core like dome. This system displayed 3D map projections and other data. Mounted on the wall opposite the entrance was an enormous visual screen, and next to it were several smaller ones use for various purposes. To his surprise, X discovered another Reploid in the room.

Standing to one side of the chamber was a tall female with blonde hair that was pulled up into a bun, resting at the nape of her neck, her body armor vivid pink and decorated with white trimming. She was leaning over a computer that glimmered brightly in the dimly lit room, her fingers resting on the keyboard. Although standing, the Reploid's head drooped.

X walked up behind her, placing his hand, which was made greatly oversized by his white glove, on her back. Her head shot up as she nearly jumped right out of her artificial skin. Standing straight up, she was about 5'6", four inches taller than he.

She stared down at the pint-sized Hunter for an instant with a startled expression in her sapphire colored eyes, and then sighed with visible relief. "Oh, it's just you."

X stood on the toes of his boot clad feet, trying his best to see the computer screen over her shoulder.

"What are you doing, Alia?"

"Oh, tha-at?" she responded with a long yawn. "I've been up all night looking over some data that you and Zero brought yawn back from some of your most recent missions."

"Why don't you get some sleep, I'll finish logging these records for you." X suggested, with a soft smirk, his large jade green eyes shining as he brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes.

"Would you, X? Oh, you're such a sweetie!" Tiredly, Alia stumbled away to her Sleeping Chamber. X was blushing slightly. He hoped Alia hadn't noticed.

After a brief moment, X sat down in a soft, gray, chair and rolled it up to the computer. The hours widdled away as he filed the information contained in the mainframe records into different categories. Many diverse data fragments existed. Some included local damage and news reports, schematics on area equipment and Mechanaloids that had malfunctioned, but the most important data seemed to be on the Mavericks involved.

_How does Alia manage to do this all day, it's so boring._

X began to ponder this thought when a news report suddenly captured his attention. He opened the report in a separate window, continuing to organize the remaining data while he read. Being of robot origin, he was very adept at multi-tasking.

The report was dated for Dec. 27th, four days before X had defeated Sigma. Now X remembered what was so important about that day: New Year's Eve.

_Had Sigma been plotting something for the 31st? If so, it would have been too easy; almost everyone was gathered in the city square for the countdown ceremony._

Yet no schemes had revealed themselves. This was unusual, for every time X and his nemesis had clashed before, Sigma had always come up with some sick, twisted plot. Suddenly X felt very ill at ease, something deep inside his mind had begun to fidget.

To take his awareness off his thoughts, he decided to finish reading the report.

'Word was received two days ago that the City Data Bank has been robbed. Witnesses claim that the thief appeared to be a Maverick, possibly having connections to the nefarious Sigma. All that seems to have been stolen is a series of documents from the main computer system containing Reploid medical files under the category "M".

Operations have begun to retrieve the stolen data. Further information will be released as it is received.' At the bottom of the page, there was a footnote about 'Nanotechnology'.

X closed the report, and then filed it away. Despite his mind wandering, he had already finished logging the other data. The Blue Bomber paused in reflection, his eyes closed in thought.

_What would Sigma want with Reploid medical files...And what connection does Nanotech have with it? _The nervousness in X's chest grew and moved to the pit of his stomach to form a knot. As the questions continued to flow through his robotic mind, a tall, navy blue, regal looking Reploid entered the room.

"Good morning, X." he greeted in a deep, smooth tone. X didn't even notice him. "And what has the Commander in such deep thought?" he jested.

X's eyes grew wide as he was jogged out of his daze. "General Signas!" Jumping to his feet, X gave a hasty but well trained salute.

"At ease Commander X." Signas replied with a hint of a grin playing at his lips. X resumed his normal stance. Signas glanced at the computer screen. "Since when do you have an interest in these sorts of things?" he teased, indicating the multiple folders on the desktop.

"Oh, that Sir?" X replied with a wide guilty grin as he rubbed the back of his titanium blue helmet with one hand. "Alia was up all night going over them. She looked tired, so I told her that I would finish it and that she should get some rest. It's all done now, though." The General smiled and nodded his head in an approving way. He glanced at X, and his smile abruptly faded into a worried frown.

"X…" Signas' voice trailed off into silence. Thinking, he began again in a firm, level tone, but his eyes gave away his emotions. "You weren't able to sleep again, were you, X." The cocky smirk on X's face also did a disappearing act.

"No." came his simple answer.

"This has been going on to long, X. I'm beginning to get concerned about you." Signas folded his arms in front of his chest. "You can't keep going on like this. Perhaps you should have Life Savor look into it." X considered the notion.

"Your right, Sir," X agreed. "I can feel it starting to take its toll on me. I shall heed your advice." X left the room.

Chapter 2: Request

Maverick Hunter H.Q. 9:25am Jan.14

Zero had awakened at exactly eight AM as always, fully rested and ready to face the day. Looking for some action, he had gone to sector 17 to invite his partner and very close friend, X, to take part in an early morning spar in the training chamber. But upon his arrival , he discovered that no one had seen X, but would pass on the word if they bumped into him . With a shrug, Zero decided to head to the training chamber anyway; he'd locate X later.

His morning had not been completely uneventful, with the lack of missions many of the other high level Hunters had elected to populate the enormous gymnasium, and he had managed to get a number of them to challenge him.

After three victories in the Battle Dome, Zero headed back upstairs. He was just about to pass the large doors that lead to the Command Center when X left the room.

"Hey, X, where were you?" Zero laughed with a big grin, slapping X on the back, nearly causing him to trip.

"I was busy." was all X said as he continued down the hall. Zero stared after him, bewildered.

_He sure didn't look very cheerful._ Zero had to fix that. He ran down the hall, catching up to X.

"Hey, what's the matter, Blue Bomber?" Zero prodded, using X's nickname to try and lighten the mood. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

There was a long moment of silence, then so deftly that it made Zero flinch, X turned to face him.

"Zero, there is something you could do for me. Could you ask Alia to look up some information on the recent theft of the City Data Bank and Nanotech? I'd do it myself, but I have a few other things to take care of." Zero grinned, being happy to aid his friend.

"Sure I'll do it, X." X gave a slight weak smile.

"Thanks, Zero, I can always count on you." He turned and walked away.

Zero couldn't help but feel a little strange about X's mood. It was like X was hiding something from him, yet Zero found he was unable to ask about it, and now it was too late.

_What could he be so worried about? Sigma is gone, there haven't been any major threats, and on the whole, everything has been pretty calm. So why does X look like someone just died?_ Zero stood there in the hall, brow furrowed.


	2. Battle

**Chapter 3: ****Battle****  
Maverick Hunter Medical Bay ****1:00pm**** Jan. 14**

X sat on the icy metal examination table. He had changed out of his fighting uniform and was now wearing a pair of light blue shorts and a white tank top. Without his helmet to cover his head, X's short brown hair fell about his face in untamed locks, making him look about the age of a twelve year old boy.

Large light fixtures in the ceiling produced a bright-white light that illuminated the wide room. Computers with their gauges, buttons and colored lights covered the expanse of one silver gray wall and other pieces of equipment littered the other sides of the chamber. To X's left, there was a shutter style door, the kind that would slide into the top of the door frame at the slightest touch, concealing a hallway that lead to the recovery rooms, and to his right a room used for care of patients in critical condition. X shuddered as he gazed in that direction; he had hazy memories of waking up there a couple of times.

Just to the side of the front doors of the Medical Bay was another pair of large white doors set into the wall. These lead to the Emergency Room. Although having no memories of this, X knew he had been there a few times too.

He turned his attention back to watching Life Savor, the Hunters' medical physician, who was connecting long, ribbon like wires that ran from a computer to ports in the underside of X's right arm. These ports weren't normally visible, being covered by a thin layer of artificial skin and metal that moved aside by sliding slightly up and then back.

Life Savor was a Reploid who had been built and trained for the specific reason of repairing and taking care of other Reploids. He had a calm, but also strict, demeanor. He had also learned to keep his cool no matter what. His face was stern and his eyes had a look of experience. He was built with a broad body and unlike X and Zero, his lab coat like uniform was solid and could not be removed.

Because they were so important to the survival of the world, the Maverick Hunters had always received the best workers in every field that could be provided. Life Savor was a top-of-the-line surgeon; therefore he was a must to keep the force running smoothly.

One of the things that allowed him to do this and keep his emotions in check so well during a frantic situation was the fact that he could make multiple copies of himself at will. Each duplicate was identical to the original, and allowed the doctor to do multiple tasks or be in more than one place at the same time.

Striding back across the room, Life Savor adjusted some controls on the computer console, causing X's schematic and other information to appear on the monitor.

"First, we'll run a level one diagnostic check. This will ensure that all systems are in proper operating order." He told X in an informative tone. X had been through this routine many a time before, but Life Savor always insisted on caring things out according to protocol.

Life Savor activated the diagnostic program. X felt a wave of warm, tingling energy flow through him. It gave him a strange sense of tranquility, as if he was floating in a blanket of light. All the tension and stress temporarily left him, and he allowed himself to fully relax, something he didn't get to do often.

"State your full name and Hunter status." Directed Life Savor. X repeated the memorized information in a clear, articulate manner.

"Mega Man X, Class Special A Commander of the 17th unit of Reploid Maverick Hunters."

"Memory and speech are fully functional." Reported the white clad doctor after checking with the computer. "Next, turn your left arm into a cannon, then your right."

X complied, changing both arms with ease. He did this by temporarily changing his hand and lower arm into energy, than the energy morphed into the programmed shape, a plasma cannon that had its barrel where his wrist had been, and then finally the energy became solid matter again. Visa Versa to get his hand back. This could all happen in the blink of an eye.

"Transformation Systems check out." Life Savor ran a few more tests, checking for viruses or any energy complications. Finally he moved on to a physical examination, most of X's visit had just been a routine check-up.

Having X sit up tall and straight, Life Savor reached under the Hunter's tank-top and placed the flat disk of his stethoscope on the soft artificial flesh of the robot's back. X gasped involuntarily at how cold it felt against his warm skin. The Blue Bomber took slow deep breaths as the doctor moved the stethoscope, listening to his repertory system, a Reploid's equivalent of a human's lungs, take in and then discharge air.

Life Savor removed the metal plate, and then replaced it on X's chest, repeating the process. Appearing satisfied with what he had heard, the doctor jotted a few notes down on his clipboard.

Replacing the disk on X's chest and then on his back, Life Savor this time carefully listened to the strong, steady beating of his patient's heart. No matter how many times he had done this, Life Savor still couldn't figure out why a creator would replace an energy generator with this unusual component, even if it was still made out of cybernetics. Disregarding this thought, Life Savor finished the examination by checking X's reflexes and eyes. At last the tall Reploid doctor came to his conclusion.

"Everything seems to be in perfect condition." He stated. "All I can think of is that you might be overly stressing yourself. I'm sorry X, but there's not a lot I can prescribe for that. I think it's best if you just take it easy for the next few days and try to relax." As Life Savor shut down the computer program that had been running, X felt a slight sense of despair as all of the tension and anxiety replaced the serene calm that he had experienced just a moment before.

Pulling the wires from his arm, X slid off the table with a small sigh. Looking up into the face of the white clad Reploid, he placed a hand on Life Savor's shoulder.

"Thank you, Life Savor. I know you don't hear this a lot, but I really appreciate everything you've done." He said in a voice that sounded like that of a young boy, unusually high pitched. X gave the tall robot a warm, thoughtful grin. Life Savor's usual serious demeanor melted and was replaced by a gentle look of relief. Although he sometimes seemed cold, even Life Savor had to admit that he often felt concerned about the little warrior robot.

_He does seem to have a way of getting under your skin_. He mused.

"Hmm, seems you've helped me more than I could help you." Life Savor quipped with a soft chuckle.

The rest of the day was the same as it had been for the last few weeks. The Head Quarters did not receive any news on Maverick activities, so the Hunters had another day off.

Many choose to spend the rest of the afternoon in the Battle Dome, a fighting arena that could simulate terrain settings and allowed Hunters to dual with each other without sustaining any real damage. This meant that, although their real bodies battled, they could fight at their highest level without having to worry about hurting their opponent. Of coarse if a Hunter was dealt a fatal or disabling blow, than the simulator forced the person to 'die' or go 'unconscious', just like a virtual reality game. The simulation was so real that Hunters could easily forget that it was all fake.

After some thought, X decided to take Zero up on his original offer, though he knew Life Savor would throw a fit if he found out that X had ignored the doctor's orders to take it easy. Once again clad in his fighting uniform, X found Zero and the two class SA Hunters (short for class Special A, the highest rank a Reploid can receive. Only the best Hunters were given this title.) entered the arena. The terrain was set to 12 and the protective force field closed around them.

All the spectators grew silent. X and Zero both looked around them to become familiar with their surroundings. They were standing in the middle of an area that looked like an earthquake had just occurred between two mountains, spilling their tops onto the ground below. The earth beneath their feet was jagged, with large boulders, rocky cliffs and slabs of stone that protruded straight up from the ground. Both combatants realized that this kind of terrain could pose both an advantage and disadvantage at the same time. Good, they loved a challenging fight.

Turning back to each other, Zero flashed X a sly smirk. X casually returned the gesture, and then dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

At the point when the tension that was building in the room threatened to burst, Zero suddenly bolted toward X. His long pale-blonde ponytail whirled around him like a curtain of silken fabric as he shifted his stance in mid dash, drawing his Z-Saber, a blade that was made out of plasma energy, in a flourish of green radiance and making an upward slash at X. At the last moment, X leapt to one side and fired a Buster shot that he had been charging during Zero's approach. But the red armored Reploid just rolled forward as the blazing shot whizzed over his head. Continuing with the momentum of his roll, Zero spun sideways and made a quick sweep at X's feet.

Not missing a single beat, X jumped the blade, making a high arc over his opponent's head. His titanium blue body changed to a hue of bright red with orange accents, and his eyes went from green to the color of a blaze, while he fired a blast of hot yellow plasma down at Zero. The Rad Raider stood his ground and, with an agile flick of his wrist, deflected the ball of fire back in the direction it had come from. In response, X twisted his slender, sinuous body in mid-air, canceled the plasma bomb with a medium charged Buster shot, and then landed gracefully on the ground facing Zero.

"Hey that's not fair; you didn't tell me you still had a Master Weapon from the Maverick leader, Blaze Heatnix." Zero teased, placing one of his oversized white gloved hands on his hip and holding his Saber over his shoulder with the other. "How many other tricks do you have up your sleeve, X?"

The blue android just gazed back at his friend from the other side of the arena and gave him a taunting grin.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

Changing back to his normal state, X jumped back into the battle, both arm cannons blazing. Zero moved in and out from behind some of the large boulders and other obstructions to keep from being hit by the rapid fire, working his way toward his opposition in attempts to line up an opening to strike.

Standing with his back to a massive slab of rock, it suddenly came to Zero's attention that the sound of shots pinging off the rock had ceased. Carefully leaning to one side, Zero looked over his square white and red shoulder plate to gaze around the corner of the stone. He was startled to find that his opponent had vanished!

Suddenly, out of no where, X came rushing straight at the red Reploid. Zero barley had time to turn around, his dark violet eyes growing wide as his attacker was upon him. Reflexively, the Rad Raider grabbed X by one arm and sent him flying into the air.

Having to change the direction he was facing during his flight, X's metallic boot clad feet found support on the side of one of the craggy cliffs. Coiling against the wall, X launched himself back at Zero with a flying kick. Dodging backward at the last second, Zero just managed to avoid the force of X's thrust, which caused the ground to crumble and cave in where the red robot had been standing just a second before. A blow like that could do some serious damage if it made contact.

Recovering from his landing with blinding speed, X shifted to another Master Weapon, the non-plated parts of his uniform turning a shade of pale blue and his armor snow white. Starting to glow, X pointed his cannon at the ground and released the charged version of the Ice Wave. As with X's buster shots, charged up Master Weapons did more damage than a normal shot. X could cause this charge to happen by holding the energy that made up the weapon longer, allowing more to accumulate in his cannon before firing.

The ice that sprang from the muzzle of X's cannon crept across the ground toward Zero, leaving a path of slick surfacing behind it. Zero yelped in surprise as the ice moved under his feet, causing him to slip. Managing to get his hands under himself before he hit the ground, Zero back flipped off the frozen surface with X in hot pursuit. Having the adapter for the Master Weapon, X could stand on the highly slippery floor with perfect balance as if the ice didn't even exist. Springing out of a flip, Zero landed a few feet from his partner.

"Oh, so you're going to play that way, huh? Alright then, my turn!"

Zero dashed toward the patch of ice on the ground that X still stood on, stopping just a few inches from its edge. In a flash of light, a red silhouette of the Hunter shot forward from his body. This was the Master Weapon known as Twin Dream, which Zero had earned by defeating the Maverick Axel Red. The shadow was made of pure energy and therefore damaged any thing it touched. But X didn't even flinch, instead he just calmly stepped backward, knowing that as long as he kept his ice in place, the attack could not hurt him, for Zero could not cross onto the ice, and the shadow had limited range. Zero cursed himself under his breath for letting X so easily slip out of that one.

The match continued with the two combatants dancing in and out of battle in a stalemate for about half an hour, neither one seemed to be able to land any successful blows. The audience began to murmur with anticipation; neither X nor Zero showed any signs of fatigue.

Suddenly, as if growing bored with the battle, Zero preformed a risky tactic. With a piercing battle cry, he launched himself in an all out frontal attack. Half way to his target, Zero crouched onto the uneven ground and began to roll, thrusting his Saber to one side, perpendicular to the ground, in a saw like maneuver. As the living blade closed the distance, X steeled himself to spring to Zero's Saber's one blind spot. But instead of following through with his attack, Zero stopped on his back directly in front of X. Thrusting his feet upward, Zero caught his opponent off guard. The double-heeled-donkey- kick struck X right in the midsection of his torso, sending the stunned Reploid soaring into the air.

X landed flat on his back on the rocky terrain with a deafening thud! A loud explosion of cheering erupted from the crowd, some shouting for X, others spurring on Zero. The Rad Raider just ignored all the noise and stood there in concentration, waiting for X to rebound to his feet and make his next move.

Abruptly, as swiftly as the uproar started, the room fell silent with a disturbing hush. Even Zero, who knew X to bluff in battle, had a strange felling that something wasn't right, for the Blue Bomber didn't stir at all; he just lay there on the artificial setting. Still having the slightest caution of a spring attack, Zero carefully approached his fallen opponent. The red Reploid kneeled down beside X and reached to help him up. Eye's flying wide, X bolted to a sitting position. Zero was so startled that he fell over backwards. With one look at Zero, X cracked up.

"Ha, ha, ha, Zero, y-you should have seen the look on your face! Mmmph- fhht-ha, ha, ha!" X covered his mouth with a hand, but try as he might, he could not stop laughing. "I-I'm so sorry, Z-Zero, b-but it's s-so, fah-ha- funny!" Zero just sat on the floor, stunned. The simulation around them slowly started to fade, indicating the end of the match.

It was getting late, so X and Zero said their good nights and went their separate ways. They had both decided to stay in the training station, watching and some times even participating in other battles. Now Zero walked alone through the still silvery corridors of sector #0, headed toward his Sleeping Chamber, a pod that had a cushion like mattress with a pillow attached to it. The pod had a lid made of a green tinted glass with a metal rim.

Zero strolled along slowly, thinking out loud. "Something's not right… X would never pull a stunt to deliberately scare someone. Was that just a cover-up…? Did I really 'hurt' him?"

Zero paused in the hall to think harder. _The only Reploid to ever beat X in a match before was Sigma, and that was only once...something is definitely wrong here, sure we've had draws in battle, but X has never lost a match to me before_.


	3. Visit

**Chapter 4 Visit**

Maverick Hunter H.Q. 10:00 am, Jan. 15

"Oh, X, I'm so glad I bumped into you." Exclaimed Micha, as she pushed a few strands of silver blue hair from her orange-gold eyes. Micha was a Rookie Hunter earning her keep as a temporary secretary. She wore a white uniform with dark green trim on the shoulder plates and cute little yellow ribbons down the center of her chest. She had a white knee length skirt that split in the center to reveal a pine green petticoat.

Micha had been carrying a large pile of papers from the copy room, when she turned a corner and ran right into X. Papers had gone everywhere and both Reploids were left sitting on the floor, her dainty white and green armored legs tangled with his oversized dark blue ones. The two disengaged their appendages and X helped Micha clean up the strewn papers. After all had been collected and accounted for, Micha turned to X.

"I'm so sorry about that," she apologized. "Oh, that's right; I have a message for you from Alia." Micha had been so exited about finally getting to talk to her hero in this manner that she had nearly forgotten her other errand. "Alia said that she got your request and that she found some stuff that might be of an interest to you. She's in the Archives." At the mention of this, X took off jogging down the hall to meet his teammate.

"Thanks, Micha!" He called over his shoulder.

"Just glad to be of service." She replied with a giggle.

X skidded to a halt outside the room that held the Archives. "Alia?" he called, slightly out of breath. The Reploid in question stepped out from behind one of the many massive data consoles that were gathered in the room, their sole purpose being to house astronomical amounts of information.

Alia was the Navigator and Data Analysis Expert for the Hunters and a member of the Special Operations team. She had graduated top in her class from technology school about seven years ago, and then joined the Maverick Hunters.

At first she had tried to enter the warrior faction of the Maverick Hunters, but just couldn't get the hang of battle. Trying a few other fields and failing, she had begun to worry that if she didn't find a job soon, that she would be discharged. Then two years later, during a crisis, Alia finally found her calling.

It had been during a time when the Hunters had been lacking a Navigator, someone who watched missions from the Head Quarters and warned Hunters of danger ahead of them that they could not see or identify.

Mega Man X, a famous Hunter she had only met very briefly once or twice, had entered a district that had been rumored to be the hideout of several Mavericks. He had gone in 'blind', a term Hunters used to mean 'without a spotter'. 'Spotter' was another name for a Navigator. Not having a warning, he had walked right into a trap. The Mavericks had blown up the district, leaving X horrifically wounded and ensnared in a disastrous area.

Alia had happened to be in the Command Center talking to General Signas about a suitable position for herself, when X's startling distress message came in over the ComLine. The Head Quarters had tried to send in a rescue team, but due to the amount of debris, had been unsuccessful. The only answer was for X to get to a clear area, but he was losing energy fast and could barley see because of all the smoke and dust in the air.

Not willing to just stand by and listen as X suffered, slowly expiring, Alia rushed to the main terminal and, without permission, opened the navigation program. Franticly, but methodically scanning the district, Alia managed to find the safest, quickest route out of the maze of rubble.

With her telling him where to look for passages and encouraging him to keep going; to not give up despite the urge to; X got into a clearing just before he literally crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. The rescue team was then able to teleport in and give the Blue Bomber the medical attention he had desperately needed.

Because of her quick thinking and level headedness, Alia was appointed by General Signas to be the new Navigator. X never forgot that, if it hadn't been for her, he would have died that day.

"Hello," Alia greeted with a smirk. "Good to see that my message got to you. Micha said she was headed down that way, so I figured she'd find you _somehow_."

"She is a bit accident prone, isn't she?" Chuckled X to himself, then he became all business again. "So, what did you find, Alia?"

"Well, seems the files that were stolen have been returned to the City Data Bank. The reports alleged that no damage had been evident, so apparently who ever stole them had no intentions of destroying or altering them. If it was a Maverick, than it seems kind of strange if you ask me."

To this X had to nod in agreement. Mavericks usually tampered with anything they got a hold of, and furthermore, why would they return it. No answers yet.

"I thought I had better let you know how the investigation of the theft had worked out, but what I knew would really grab your attention is what I found out about Nanotechnology." Alia handed him some documents she had obtained from the networking system. "As you can see, according to these, a new firm opened early in the beginning of last year. NanoCorps. From what I found, the corporation has been testing new medical sciences involving Nanotechnology. The process uses Nanobots; microscopic machines; to track ailments and cure patients from inside. Unfortunately, that's all I have on the subject. What do you think?"

"Hmm…" X considered for a split second. "Seems I'm just going to have to go visit the owner of this 'NanoCorps.' and find out the rest for myself."

X found Zero standing in the corridors of Sector 10 with some of the other Hunters gathered around him. It looked as though he was telling of his many adventures again; he was in the middle of waving his hands through the air in an up and outward motion to illustrate something, causing two of the Hunters to gasp. And _he _said he didn't like to brag.

A lofty, red Reploid, who had been designed to look like a giant Carpenter Ant, was using two of his four arms to lean against the wall. In front of him stood a female Reploid, her already petit form seeming even smaller compared to the giant. Her slender body was done in pastel pink armor and white midsections that accented her smooth shape. Her long auburn hair streamed over her shoulders and she stood erect with her head high, her mannerisms giving her a certain snobbish air.

"Hey X-k- how you doin'-k?" The ant greeted, his large mandibles clicking together as he talked.

"I'm doing fine, Jimmy. And how are you today, Tiara?" The pink Reploid's only reply was a sly, fetching smirk.

Casual greetings were exchanged with the other three Reploids standing in the hall. The group went on about recent gossip for a few minutes, but the conversation ran dry. Not enough had happened lately for making good stories. Finally, X spoke up.

"Hey Zero, since there's not a lot going on around here, you want to go down town with me and check something out?"

Zero gave X a momentary look that almost appeared to be relief. He nodded and the other Hunters said their farewells to the titanium duo, setting off to find other activities to occupy their free time.

"Hey, thanks X." Zero laughed as they walked to the Parking Garage that was located on the basement floor of the Head Quarters. "It's about time I got out of here and got some real excitement. I'll tell you what," Zero put his oversized, white hands behind his head and gazed up at the cool gray ceiling. "Peace isn't all it's cracked up to be, more like extremely boring."

X touched a door at the end of the long corridor and the door slid open. The two got on the elevator in silence, until X started quietly giggling to himself.

"Speaking of entertainment, I _ran into_ Micha earlier today." Zero gave X a concise stare, one eyebrow raised.

"Brr." Zero shivered. "I try to stay away from her at all costs. She doesn't mean it, but that girl is dangerous!" Respite, then the two friends broke into laughter.

When the twosome entered the Parking Garage, the only sound that greeted them was a hushed buzzing. Normally the humongous garage was filled with the roar of engines and the sounds of conversation. Now all they could see were the dozens of unused vehicles.

"Boy this is bad, there's nobody here!" Zero exclaimed in exasperation, flinging his arms out to his sides.

Just around the corner from the entrance they found a Reploid whose armor was done in tie-dye. He was sitting in a booth with surveillance equipment, his head resting on the counter as he snored loudly.

Zero held one finger up to his smirking mouth, signaling for silence. X stood inaudibly, curious as to what his comrade had in mind as Zero crept over to the Reploid, got down so that his head was level to the counter and moved as close to the sleeping robot as he could without waking him.

"**_WHAT'S UP, FROLIC!";_** He shouted full blast into the Reploid's ear.

Frolic was so surprised that he fell out of his chair backwards and skidded across the floor. He hastily got back to his feet and gave the two snickering Reploids in front of him a fake glare.

"Oh, you think your funny, don't you?" He challenged with mock sarcasm. That was one for the record book, noted Frolic mentally. He was a robot with a comical sense of humor. He greatly enjoyed playing jokes on people and was always scouting new forms of mischief making.

"At least it wasn't _General Signas_ who found you asleep on the job." Pointed out Zero, as he jestingly waved a finger at Frolic. X folded his arms and put in his two cents by giving the security 'Ploid a stern look with a curt nod of his head. They all exchanged a momentary glance, than burst out laughing.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Frolic asked when he could breathe again, rubbing imaginary tears of laughter from his eyes. "Did we get some word on Maverick activity?... Are things finally gonna' get back to normal around here?" Zero looked briefly at X, and then turned back to Frolic.

"Nah," he shrugged nonchalantly, "X and I were just going to head down town on some personal business, so we thought we'd take one of the vehicles out for a spin." Frolic showed a moments disappointment, then shrugged, reverting to his normally cheerful self.

"Well, have fun, drive safe, and don't wreck it or Signas will have a fit." X held up his hand and Frolic tossed him a metal card key with a serial number on one side and a bar code on the other.

As they searched for the mode of transportation they desired, another Reploid, a Garage security guard, approached them. His body was designed for aerodynamics, having wing-like projections at the back of his shoulder plates. He was even shorter than X but had a lean build. His armor was bright yellow and white, and his face was kind and friendly.

"Hey guys, how goes it?"

"Everything's great. We just decided we'd ride around the city for a couple of hours, you know, seeing as nothing else is going on right now." X replied, shrugging one shoulder.

"We-eell, if I may make a suggestion…," Delta replied in a deliberately slow manner, a smug grin on his face, his eyes tilted off to one side guiltily, "…there's a brand new Ride Chaser in Dock E."

X grinned broadly as he and Zero chimed their thanks in unison and Zero exchanged a wink with the short guard. Then they were off, dashing between the rows of vehicles, making a game out of dodging the obstacles in their path as they raced to see who could get there first.

The robots arrived in Dock E and found the Ride Chaser, a vehicle that looked like a motorcycle, but had no wheels and hovered slightly above the ground. Zero looked the Ride Chaser up and down. The body was a base color of metallic gray, with purple side stripes and jet black handle bars. Its underbelly was equipped with the latest dual force-hover pads, and there were plasma guns hitched to the front next to the head lights. The whole thing was held in a brace a little above the floor. This vehicle wasnt usually intended just for joy riding.

Zero gave a long, low whistle.

"Delta16 really knows his machines."

"Yeah, and Douglas can really build 'em." X commented after he finished his inspection of the Chaser.

X climbed into the front seat, Zero taking the one behind, and inserted the card key into a slot near the handle bars. X turned the throttle on the handle bars, revving up the engine as the brace released, allowing the vehicle to hover freely. The Chaser responded with a deep, powerful roar. Placing a hand on X's round, blue shoulder pad to get his attention, Zero flashed his pal a mischievous smirk.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

X shifted into gear and blew out of the Dock.

Traffic covered the bridge that lead away from the city center and toward one of the outer sectors. The bridge spanned a large river and the business district's vast cityscape could be seen just beyond. Despite the season, the roads were free of ice, for it had been a very mild winter and the city and surrounding areas hadn't received any snow since November.

X piloted through the many cars with all the expertise of a formula-1 racer, zigzagging between and around the other vehicles, whilst Zero enjoyed the rush of cool wind as it rippled through his long, pale blonde hair.

"I'm free!" Exclaimed the red Reploid as he threw his hands toward the sky. X could only grin and roll his eyes at his friend's childish antics.

Within a few minutes they had arrived outside of NanoCorps, a building made of tan-gray concrete that stood at least ten stories high. X parked the Ride Chaser in a vast lot owned by the corporation and they entered the building.

The lobby was a sizeable room with a polished crimson floor, cream colored walls and a light brown desk in the center. There were burgundy couches with magazine racks on either side of the room, and a wide fountain in the far right corner. A Reploid clad in a dark purple and yellow dress and business jacket combo sat behind the desk, busily typing away at a keyboard.

"May I help you?" she inquired in a sweet voice, looking up from her work as they approached.

"Yes." X stated firmly. "Please tell the owner of this corporation that Commander X and Commander Zero of the Maverick Hunters are here to ask him a few questions."

"Mr. Roazzari is in a meeting right now with the Director of Marketing, but if you wait, I'm sure he will be more than glad to see you." With that she paged a message through to Roazzari's personal secretary, then turned back to her computer and resumed her typing.

X walked across the room and leaned against a wall, closing his eyes in thought, while Zero, not content to just stand around, sat down on one of the coaches opposite X and started leafing through a mechanics magazine. The room was totally quite, except for the faint sounds of computer keys clicking and water falling in the fountain.

_Maybe now I can figure out what's really going on. _X brooded._ I still have the strange feeling that Sigma might be up to something and nanotechnology might provide a clue. The information Alia gave me helped some what, but it wasn't enough to wrap up this mystery. Hopefully the owner of this firm can tell me what I need to know. _

All of a sudden X felt very nauseous and disoriented, and then everything went black and red. "Uuahh…." He moaned in agony as his legs buckled, forcing him to drop to the floor on one knee, where he leaned heavily on the wall, eyes pressed tightly shut, supporting himself against a world that was spinning, threatening to throw him into a dark abyss.

Zero was instantly on his feet running to his partner's side, his lengthy ponytail sweeping back and forth just above the ground at his heels.

"X?" He cried in surprise. "Oh God… **_X!_**"

He plunged to his knees beside X, putting one hand on X's chest plate and the other on his back, trying to steady his blue clad friend. Zero could feel X's whole frame tremble in his grasp, his breath coming in as ragged gasps and an accelerated heart rate. Despite the situation, Zero couldn't help but ponder how strange it was to feel a heartbeat in a Reploid. X was the only Reploid to have an actual heart, not just a figurative one.

The robot behind the desk stood up and leaned forward, glancing at Zero with wide, questioning eyes. Just then, as if nothing had happened, X climbed to his feet and pushed himself away from the wall.

"X…?" Zero muttered in a tone of confusion, his eyes thinned with worry, as he slowly got to his feet as well.

"It's ok; I'm alright now, Zero." X said in a calm voice, still looking straight ahead, his face emotionless. "I'm sorry; I should have told you sooner. I've been really stressed out lately about some stuff, haven't gotten' a lot of sleep. I must just be tired."

Zero placed his hands on X's shoulders and turned him so that he could look into his friend's face, his lavender-blue eyes portraying so many emotions at once that X had trouble placing them all. There was genuine concern, doubt; and yet trust; and a glimmer of fear all wrapped up in one gaze.

"A-are you sure you're really ok?" Zero stammered. "You don't want to go back to the Head Quarters and rest, do you? …I could take you back if you wanted me to."

"No, it's alright, Zero. Really, I'm fine."

Zero frowned, but he didn't push the matter any further. A beeping sound at the desk in the center of the room caused the duo to break their gaze and look in that direction. The girl behind the counter pushed a button on an intercom and took a message.

"Mr. Roazzari is ready to see you now." She announced to them, still slightly shaken from what she had just witnessed. The two of them entered the man's office, Zero remaining close to X.

"Ah, Commander X, Commander Zero." A man sitting behind a large mahogany desk greeted with a friendly smile. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

The man's desk was neatly organized, his work space on one side, his computer on the other. There were a few papers lying directly in front of him; he must have been filling them out. The man wore a slate gray business uniform, with an ashen undershirt and a bright yellow tie. His dark powder-brown hair was clean-cut-short and slicked back. These were a few details X took note of as he decided in what manner to present his questions.

_He is a serious business man, but he is not boring. He is young, but knows what he is doing. _X commented inwardly.

"Mr. Roazzari, if you don't mind, we would like to inquire about this corporation." The young man grinned broadly, extending his hands palms up to his sides in a welcoming gesture.

"I'd be pleased to answer any questions you have."

"All right," X began with a nod.

"First off, earlier today the Maverick Hunters found a document that stated that your corporation has been testing a form of new medical technology; Nanobots. What exactly is it that these Nanobots do?"

Mr. Roazzari considered this for a while, than replied. "For many years scientists and doctors alike have sought a better method to treat patients. Here at NanoCorps. we are hoping that we can provide that method. With the Nanobots that we have created, we can hunt down and obliterate viruses.

The Nanobots are introduced into the body through the blood stream. Once inside, they are programmed to locate any foreign organisms in the body, and then destroy them; like a soldier does an enemy. Because they are microscopic robots they can track down every atom of the virus and eliminate it.

If all goes according to plan, we may even be able to cure Aids; or for Reploids, the Maverick Virus."

Zero glanced wide eyed from X and then to Mr. Roazzari, amazed by what he had just heard. If the virus could actually be cured, the number of Mavericks would decrease drastically and bring the Hunters even closer to their ultimate goal: a world where humans and Reploid lived in peace! Zero glanced meaningfully at X, realizing his best friend might finally achieve his long quested for dream; Elysium, paradise.

X just stood with a thoughtful expression, sorting through and contimplating the explanation he had just received.

"Second question, how are these 'Nanobots' produced?"

Once again the room fell silent as Roazzari pondered the correct way to reply to the inquiry.

"The initial design was created by one of our human scientists, but this is another situation where humans are obsolete, because our dexterity and concentration are not nearly as advanced as yours. Due to their size, only Reploids have been able to construct the actual 'bots'.

As X reflected silently upon what had been said, Zero stood quietly taking in the conversation. It was not his matter to discuss, but the topic enthralled him none the less.

"Alright, final question: how are you testing these Nanobots?"

"Ah, yes. That has a most interesting answer indeed. You see we started out testing like everyone else, with animals. But animal testing did not produce the results we were looking for.

Then a couple of months ago, one of our chief engineers brought a new method to my attention. You see, the Nanobots were not meant just for humans, but we hoped to provide Reploids with a new form of medical treatment as well. So about two weeks ago, we started accepting Reploid volunteers. As you should know, and dont take this the wrong way, but in the event that something should go wrong, Reploids are much easier to repair."

X nodded in silent agreement, being a Reploid, he understood all too well how much more fragile humans were.

"If the Reploid tests are successful, then we will start testing on humans. If both parties prove to be successes, then we hope to see this new method out in the real world very soon."

Unexpectedly the man's optimism was replaced by disappointment. He sighed deeply. "It's a shame though, as of yet the Reploid testing has had more results than that of the animal testing, but we still haven't had a completely flourishing batch. It's almost as if something in the equation were missing."

X gave Roazzari a regretful frown. "I'm sorry that your experiments have not yet been a success, but I thank you for your time and the information you have given us. And please tell your volunteers that what they are doing is wonderful and that I support them all the way."

"I will tell them that, and I assure you, Commander X, that the Maverick Hunters will be one of the first groups to receive this invention when it is complete."

X and Zero said farewell to Roazzari and waved goodbye to the Reploid secretary behind the reception desk as they left the building. The sun was beginning to set and the winter air had turned frigid, causing frost to form on the ground and the trees. Zero followed X to the parking bay, keeping a vigilant eye on his partner. He convinced X to let him drive the Ride Chaser back to the Head Quarters and by the time they arrived it was after dark.

Zero parked the Ride Chaser in the dock, and despite X's protests, he managed to talk his comrade into allowing the Hunter medical doctor to check him over. Life Savor reported that nothing seemed to be wrong and had to agree with X and his previous diagnosis; it was just stress. But due to Zero's personal request, Life Savor had X's Sleeping Chamber environment altered to put him into a state of stasis; an induced deep sleep (also known to the Hunters as the 'Healing slumber'); for the night.


	4. Black Out

Chapter 5- Blackout

Maverick Hunter Training Station 2:50 p.m. Jan 17

It had been a good day; Zero had accepted another Battle Dome challenge from the ever-relentless Tiara. This hot-tempered girl had gotten it into her head that she would one day defeat Zero, and despite countless failed battles that never lasted long, she refused to give up. Zero had to give her credit for her gumption.

After white washing the fiery female once again, Zero spent some time helping the other Commanders train the Rookie Hunters, then hit the simulator. The Mavericks were still lying low, so no one had had any missions.

Zero had gone back to being his usual carefree self, pushing his worry aside as being silly and unnecessary.

_I hope X will forgive me for going so overboard. I guess I really should trust his instincts more. _Zero told himself as he ran through the simulation chamber, dodging enemy fire and strategically placed traps. X had awakened the day after their visit to NanoCorps. as cheerful as ever and there had been no problems for the last two days.

_Seems all he needed was a good nights rest. _Zero slid under a low hanging block. Using the tiny out cropping on the other side for footing, he vaulted over a wide pit and spike trap, landing on the opposite ledge just beyond the hazard. He was about to enter the simulator's final room, the boss's chamber, when his thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

**Breep-breep**** Breep-breep **

Zero's eyes lit up; it was a very familiar and welcome sound. Hastily Zero signaled for the simulation to be terminated. As the after images of the virtual reality dissipated, Zero turned to face the control room's large observance window.

"Hey Zymiath," Zero shouted with excitement to the Reploid who ran the simulator program, "I've gotta go, I'm being paged by the Command Center!"

Zymiath was responsible for creating simulation-training programs for the Hunters. To do this, he would gather data from the missions of Hunters such as X and Zero, then write virtual reality programs with fragments of information from those files. After creating the program, he would then decide what level it should be classified as and save it for later use. He loved his job, although it could often get demanding; he was required constantly to update the simulator with the most recent data and scenarios.

Zymiath pumped a fist in the air for Zero as the red robot dashed out of the training chamber at top speed. Rushing down the hall, Zero received grins and thumbs ups from all the Hunters he passed; things were finally going to get back to normal.

**--------------------**

"Hey, Honey," a voice with a soft Southern accent inquired. "Can I get ya' anything? Ya'll want a soda or perhaps a nice, hot glass of Coco? Tis pretty chilly out there today."

X's head snapped up with a start, his thoughts having been interrupted. "Oh…um…no, I'm fine."

The waitress that had approached him stood behind the counter, a coffee pot in one hand. She wore a light blue, short dress; her restaurant uniform; and a white apron around her waist. The apron had two pockets on the front, a pen and an order booklet in one of them. She looked down at the small robot with a bemused smile.

X had been roaming the streets of the downtown district while deep in thought and had wandered into a small Café. Hardly realizing what he was doing, he had sat down on a burgundy cushioned stool at the Café's bar, his feet hanging a few inches above the ground. He was wearing a two-tone blue custom jacket over a black t-shirt that had the word 'Rock' printed in fancy red and orange letters across the front, a pair of khaki Cargo pants and jet black sneakers with crimson laces.

Putting the pot of coffee back onto its burner, the waitress strolled back over to the counter; something about this young stranger intrigued her. Resting one arm and an elbow on the black and white marbled surface, and leaning forward, she placed her chin in her palm so that she was now at eye level with X. Smiling sweetly, her copper locks tumbled over her shoulder as she cocked her head to one side, her sky blue eyes gazing into his bright green ones.

"So what brings a young Sugar like yer self all tho' way out here?"

"Just visiting an old friend." X replied truthfully with a strange hint of sadness to his voice. He had to smile at her remark. Dressed in street clothes, she had not realized who or what he was, she thought him to be a little boy. X shrugged inwardly, he often was mistaken for a child.

For the first time since he had entered the Café, X began to look around him, becoming more aware of his surroundings as his mind cleared. The Café was on the small side, but had a relaxing feel. The interior was done in soft earthy tones, its tables having black, metal hand-molded bases, frosted glass tops and matching chairs with burgundy cushions. Canvas shaded lamps hung from the ceiling, giving the room interesting patterns of lighting. Things looked pretty slow, there were only a few other costumers besides himself.

_Must be the regulars…_

X's thought was interrupted by the sound of a small bell ringing as a tall man with sandy blonde hair wearing a white t-shirt and jeans walked into the Café and took a seat at the far end of the counter.

"Hey Bonnie, how's it going? Can I get a Latte?"

"Sure thin', Max, comin' right up." Replied the waitress as she turned away from X and started to head back toward the kitchen. However, almost as if in an afterthought, she turned to face X one more time.

"Ya're sure ya don't want anythin', Sugar?" she prompted him in a gentle voice.

"No." X shook his head, giving her a weak smile. He crossed his arms on the counter and then cradled his head in them as he watched Bonnie fix the ordered drink. A strange little voice somewhere in the back of X's mind longed for the offered hot Coco.

_But how can that be?_ He questioned it, feeling somewhat silly. _Reploids__ don't eat or drink._

After a few minutes, X decided it was time to leave. Placing a tip on the counter for Bonnie's hospitality, the small android hopped off the stool and walked out the door.

X rode the subway to the east end of the district and continued from there on foot to Cain Labs. As he entered the lobby of the industry, a metallic, silver colored droid looked up at him from behind the master control system. The droid looked more like an alien rather than a human, with its skeletal body, lack of hair or facial features and glowing amber eyes.

"Commander X May I help You?"

X turned his attention toward the droid. It had taken a while, but he had gotten used to its emotionless manner.

"Can you tell me where I can find Dr. Cain?" he inquired of it.

"Dr. Cain is in research laboratory number five."

"Thanks." X replied. Even though he knew the droid wouldn't respond, it was X's habit to be courteous anyways.

As he walked down a hall toward the elevator that would take him to lab #5, something touched his shoulder. Turning to see what it was, the smiling face of a Reploid that was taller then him greeted X. The robot wore a uniform of tarnished blue and carried a clipboard.

"Long time, no see!" he greeted as they shook hands with each other and locked in the kind of embrace old friends share.

"Good to see you again, Buster. Really has been a while, hasn't it."

"So, what brings you here, X?" Buster inquired as the two stepped back to face each other. A dark shadow crossed X's face for a moment, but disappeared in another instant as his expression brightened.

"Well, to tell the truth, I had some free time at the Base, so I thought I'd come here and visit Dr. Cain."

"Hmph, that old coot been so busy lately, hardly takes time to even eat. He's got some kind of new research project he's really excited about." Buster held up the clipboard for X to see. "He's still got me running errands for him. You'd think I'd have been p-p-pr-mo-ted by now!"

X stared blankly at Buster for a moment, slightly surprised that he had not recalled the Reploid's slight speech impediment. Buster had been built as a project by a Tech School student about six years ago and his speech systems sometimes malfunctioned.

"Buster, why haven't you ever had Dr. Cain look at that? I'm sure he could fix it." Buster gave X a momentary blank stare.

"Wha? Oh, you mean the problems I have with talking. Yeah, I guess I could, but… it's kinda b-be-come pa-art of who I am." X couldn't help but chuckle at Buster's optimism.

"Well, I 'spose I should go find Dr. Cain before I lose track of where he is. I'll see you around Buster. It was great to see you again." The two Reploids waved good-bye to each other as X entered the elevator at the end of the hall.

X walked into a small room, which was cluttered with a wide array of devices and computer consoles. There was a faint smell in the air of heat and mixed chemicals and in the far corner of the room, standing in front of a monitor, was a small, wrinkled old man with a white beard that extended to his waist.

"Dr. Cain?" X said with a slight tone of apprehension as he approached the scientist, hoping that he hadn't caught the man at a bad time. As the scientist turned, his small beady eyes twinkling at his guest in surprise and his bald pointed head made him appear almost gnome like.

"Ah, X, what a pleasant surprise!" the old man exclaimed as he hugged the Reploid with an unexpected strength for his age. "I had no idea you where coming. Please have a seat." He offered as he uncluttered a small lab chair. "What brings you here?"

X sat in the chair as Dr. Cain pulled up another for himself. Blushing slightly, X gazed at the floor. "Well…nothin' much has been happening at the Head Quarters lately. Just figured I'd come to visit for a while."

"'Not_ much_ has happened', '_I_ just _thought_'. X… your grammar is slipping." X looked up quickly to meet Cain's gaze with a startled expression. "I know you too well. You didn't just come here to say hello, did you, X." The small scientist gave his Reploid companion a skeptical look.

Giving a heavy sigh, X lowered his head, feeling somewhat ashamed for his hesitating to talk with Cain. He knew Dr. Cain had always listened to his problems and helped him before. Why was he letting these recent events disturb him so much? He took a deep breath.

"Your right, Sir. I came to you to talk about a matter that has been bothering me lately." X looked up at the wrinkled scientist, waiting for a response, but the man only gave him a look of undivided attention and encouraged the Reploid to go on. Steadying himself again, X continued.

"For nearly the last three weeks now, I've been having trouble getting to sleep. When I finally do doze off, I awaken just a few minutes later due to some odd unnerving feeling. I just can't seem to place what it is. I talked to Life Savor about it and his thoughts were that I just might be building up too much nervous tension and need to relax for a while. But… it's not that I don't trust Life Savor's skills as a doctor…"

"You'd just prefer a second opinion by some one who knows you better." Cain finished for X and the Reploid gave him a relieved glance that told the scientist he'd hit the nail right on the head.

"Of course I will, X. Why didn't you just ask in the first place?" Cain replied with a friendly grin.

"Th-thank you, Dr. Cain." X stammered as his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. He watched as the small scientist darted around the room, moving aside piles of items and setting up equipment. They were almost ready to begin when a distinct beeping caught X's attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry Dr. Cain." The Blue Bomber exclaimed as he got to his feet and pulled on his jacket. "I've got to go; the Command Center is calling me." He turned toward Cain as the man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, X." Cain assured with an approving nod. "If the Head Quarters needs your services, then you had better be on your way. Perhaps we can finish this when you have another spare moment." X started to back away from the scientist. "Oh, and don't be a stranger."

X smiled broadly at his old friend. "Thank you again, Dr. Cain."

Lifting his right wrist to chest height, X pushed a button on a slightly watch like device he wore, and in a flash of radiant blue light, he teleported away.

**--------------------**

Zero arrived in the Command Center, panting, but nonetheless filled with energy. X had already arrived and was standing next to the map projection console. As they approached each other, the two exchanged grins that stretched from ear to ear.

Alia stood behind a data console inserting new information to be used for the navigation programs on the upcoming mission. She had been briefed earlier by the General and was preparing every thing she would need for the task, which included info streams on background information about the mission and data-hydrons on the location.

A large holographic map appeared in the center of the room when General Signas arrived. In the top right corner were information on and a depiction of a Maverick.

"Commander Zero, Commander X." he nodded once in greeting to one and then the other.

The tall General tipped his cap up slightly, and folded his hands behind his back, the gold medals and stars he wore showing cleanly against his deep, royal blue uniform. Signas was a young Reploid general who had graduated military training and been assigned to the Maverick Hunters five years ago. He had replaced the former Hunter General, who had been destroyed in a horrendous battle during the Maverick Wars. Although the Hunters never forgot their previous general, they had gladly welcomed Signas with open arms. He was an expert tactician, having the most precise CPU amongst Reploids. He was strict, but had a tender soul and would try to support and encourage his ranks when ever possible.

X and Zero, being Class Special A Hunters, had participated in many missions with him in the past, and he had become quite attached to the two androids, as well as the rest of the Special Operations team; a group consisting of six members; the two Commanders, Alia, Douglas, Life Savor, and himself. Despite his affection for his friends, there were times he understood that he could not let his feelings interfere with his duties as a general.

"We have received word that this Maverick," Signas gestured to the heads up display on the map projection, "was spotted fifteen minutes ago heading toward City district 227428. We have been informed that he is possibly the same Maverick that robbed the Data Bank and that he is to be apprehended immediately. Currently, we do not have much information on him, but it is reported that he possesses unusual agility. X, Zero, I want the both of you to transport to the site ASAP. I trust your abilities, but it may require both of you to capture him."

Signas turned to face a large, blank screen on the Command Center's right wall.

"Alia, get me online with Douglas."

**Blip**

The screen lit up and the face of the Hunter mechanic came into view. Douglas wore red tinted goggles with fold down wielding lenses on his broad round face. His outfit was done in green with gray midsections and comprised of far fewer pieces of armor than that of X or Zero, allowing for wide ranges of flexibility and movement so that he could crawl under and around pieces of machinery with ease.

"Douglas, we have an assignment, I'll send you the file. Do you have anything that may be of use in this situation?" Douglas promptly skimmed the data burst that Signas had sent him. He returned his attention to the General.

"You bet I do, Sir! I've been dieing to field test these babies!"

**--------------------**

X and Zero arrived in district 227428 via teleport. Once the system restored communications abilities, Alia contacted them on their COM links.

"Glad to see that you guys landed safely, sorry about the bumpy ride, we'll get that quirk in the teleporter fixed as soon as possible." She had donned her Com headset and was sitting behind the navigation system. From the Base, Alia could monitor all actions on the field, keeping tabs on anything that moved; whether it was her friends, a Maverick, or anything else that crept about. Through this method, she could warn her charges of any danger in their area.

"So boys, what do you say we get this show on the road?"

The answer to her inquiry was a loud, high-pitched whoop on the other end of the line.

"That's not a quirk, Alia," Zero jested as he and X flashed the thumbs-up signal, "the old girls' just excited, and I think we're just as happy to be back on the job as she is."

"Alrighty then, let the hunt begin! I have a bead on our Maverick. Target is headed southeast on route 357. X, I'll send you a data burst with a tracking map that you can access with your helmet's HUD. Zero, I'm teleporting in Douglas' newest gadget… I'm sure you two are really going to enjoy this one!"

Two floating orbs appeared before the Hunters, one with a soft blue glow, the other bright red. Zero took the latter and deactivated the outer casing. In his hands where the orb had previously been, rested what looked like a red snowboard with a flame painted down the center.

"Oh sweet!" Zero exclaimed as his eyes widened with excitement. "They sent us Hover Boards!" The red clad android snatched the second orb out of the air and tossed it over his shoulder to his blue armored partner, who also deactivated the protective shell.

Zero flicked a switch on the side of the board and released it, the board falling to the ground and stopping a few inches above the rubble covered terrain. With a graceful leap, Zero landed on the board, which lunged forward with a burst of speed. X followed closely behind the red clad robot, the twosome weaving skillfully between and around the debris of the deserted sector.

As they zoomed through the damaged street, a large slope of rock swiftly came into view. Throwing a quick smirk over his shoulder at X, Zero accelerated and headed straight for the pit that lurked under the rocky ramp. As the Rad Raider reached the edge of the incline, he bent down and grabbed the side of his board, kicking both feet out to his left, causing himself and the board to spin clockwise in mid-air. Then, shifting his weight to the front, he somersaulted forward and landed just a few millimeters above the ground beyond the edge of the chasm, the Hover Board bobbing a few times and then finally resuming normal altitude.

"Beat that!" he shouted as X caught up to him, challenging his pal to a friendly round of competition. X nodded once, and then waited for the right opportunity to present itself.

After a short moment, X spotted a large rock next to a building. Jumping onto the boulder, X used it as a springboard to launch himself into the air by tail bonking the rock. With one full turn, he landed sideways on a small outcropping on the side of the concrete structure. Grinding several ledges until he was nearly at the top of the building, X wrapped his arms tightly to his chest, dropped off the last ledge and fell head first toward the ground, spinning so that his Hover Board looked like helicopter blades.

Nearing the ground rapidly, he waited until the last second before flipping right side up and landed facing backward, giving Zero a very smug grin. Zero glared at him as X did a half turn so that he was facing forward again.

Without warning X abruptly slowed down, causing Zero to have to swerve to avoid hitting him.

"What is it?" Zero questioned, for X looked as though he were concentrating on something.

"The tracking map Alia sent me says we're approaching our target. He should be just around the next corner." X pointed to the two-way road ahead of them, indicating the passage to the right. As they rounded the bend, they spotted a Maverick that stood a little shorter than Zero. He looked like a humanoid lizard, balanced on his strong hind legs, a slender snout with jagged teeth protruding from his face.

Rows of spikes covered the sides of his arms and back, curving at sinister angles. A flaring mass of fiery hair started on his forehead and extended to the middle of his back.

Startled by the arrival of the Hunters, the Maverick turned to flee. With amazing agility, he made his way toward a narrow lane, nearly out running the Hover Boards on foot.

Punching his board into overdrive, Zero closed the distance between himself and the Maverick by a few feet, then lunged right off the board, soared through the air and tackled the reptile like Reploid. The two tumbled across the ground, wrestling as they came to a stop. Within a few minutes, Zero had over powered his adversary and pinned him down. But as X caught up to the wriggling mass of robotics, the Maverick grew anxious to get away, realizing that any chance for escape would be totally futile if the Hunters double-teamed him.

Pushing Zero back a few inches with one hand, the reptile swung out with the other. His long razor sharp claws nailed Zero straight across his left eye, causing the Rad Raider to reel backward and fall to the ground on his back. He winced as his head cracked into a rock. The Maverick jumped to his feet and had disappeared down an alleyway in an instant.

X jumped off his board as it skidded to a halt next to Zero. "Are you alright?" He said as he extended a hand to his fellow Hunter. Groaning softly, Zero took X's offered help and got to his feet. Four diagonal gauges crossed his face.

Rubbing one of his fingers over a single cut, Zero looked at the bluish-gray liquid in disgust. "It's nothing that will slow me down." He scowled, looking in the direction the Maverick had vanished.

Examining the alleyway, the Reploids agreed that they would have to leave their Hover Boards behind and continue on foot. X switched off the map Alia had given him, he and Zero preferring from here on out to use the tracking skills they had developed from many experienced years as a Hunters.

Cautiously they traversed the rubble-cluttered alcove, having to climb over and squeeze behind rocks.

"That Maverick must be fast, it's taking us forever to get through here!" Commented Zero as he slide sideways through a hole between two rocks. The going was much faster for X, since he was the smaller of the two, readily being able to squirm through gaps that took Zero longer to clear.

The red android climbed over and crawled under two more slabs of concrete. As he reached his feet, he caught a glimpse of X disappearing through a small niche half way up a wall of rock. Giving an annoyed groan, Zero vaulted onto the wall and started to wiggle through the passage himself. Flipping out of the hole, he landed feet first in a small clearing. X was there, sitting on a rock, waiting for him.

"What's the matter? Getting tired, Blue Bomber?" chided Zero, trying to disguise the slight fatigue he was beginning to feel. He was in excellent working condition, but fitting through those tight gaps was not as easy for him.

"Huh-uh, just got some new data on the target. I'm analyzing it now. Go on without me and scout ahead. I'll catch up with ya' when I'm done." Zero nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and Zero," X grinned mischievously, "If you catch him, leave some for me."

"Right. Only this time I'll watch out for those claws." Zero replied, wiping one hand over his left eye. The Rad Raider slipped past another rock and was gone.

**--------------------**

Zero finally made it out of the crowded ally way and into a wide street with another ally on the opposite side that was completely blocked off by rubble. Zero climbed up the broken fragments of a building to get to a better vantage point. He quickly scanned the wide street from his high perch. Then Zero noticed something out of place. Almost in the center of the deserted road way stood their Maverick. It appeared as though he was searching for something, what it was, Zero had no idea.

Again Zero briefly scoped out the lay of the terrain.

_This is perfect! From here I can easily approach the other ally without being detected. I'll drop down, effectively barricading his escape route. He won't get past me, and if he tries to go back the way he came, he'll meet X. _The Rad Raider's smirk grew wicked. _We've got him surrounded. _

**--------------------**

Shortly after Zero had left, X carefully got to his feet. He took a slow, deliberate breath to calm the nervous, shaky feeling he had inside.

_I managed to bluff my way out for the third time. _He thought with a heavy sigh.

X stood there for a moment, then feeling stronger, he continued his trek through the hazardous piles of twisted metal and concrete. He came out the other side in record time to stand where Zero had been just a few moments before. He walked into the clearing just as his red clad partner dropped into the street on the opposite end. The two Hunters stared in surprise at each other for a moment, then almost as if exchanging a silent message, they both started advancing.

The Maverick, realizing he was in hot water again, tried to make a move for the ally behind him, but nearly ran smack dab into the blue armored Hunter that had been approaching him. He came to a halt, discovering that both the exits had been blocked off. Franticly, he started to look for another way out, the Hunters were getting to close for comfort.

Zero, who was a little closer, started to make a grab for the Maverick, but was shocked when he noticed that the Reploid lizard was chuckling softly. The renegade had his back turned to Zero and was eyeing X with a malicious smile playing across his face

"Ah… now I recognize you." He scoffed. "Commander X of the 17th unit ."

To add insult to injury, he did a slight salute to X that mirrored the tone of mock respect that he had used. X just ignored the remark.

"And this must be the infamous Zero." The Reploid continued, pointing over his shoulder at the red robot that stood behind him in an now offensive stance, hand hovering above the hilt of his saber, ready at moment to avenge the outrage to his friend. "I've heard so much about you two, quite the team you make."

By this time Zero was completely confused. _If he's 'heard so much about us', then why does he seem so calm all of a sudden?_ His thoughts were interrupted as the Maverick went on.

"This could actually be kinda fun. You don't know much about me, do you? I suppose telling you a little about myself won't cause any harm. My name is Razor, and yes, it was I who robbed the City Data Bank. It was also I who returned the file when we no longer needed it."

X was slightly taken aback. "Aren't you worried about what might happen to you if you tell us all this…?" he asked in incredulous, considerate voice.

"Not really." Razor replied nonchalantly with a flip of a hand and a shrug of his shoulder. "Considering the fact that I'll be the one to tell the boss about our success."

Zero's eyes went wide. "Boss? What success!"

"Well, actually… I should say soon to be success." Razor bragged. "But it's just a small part in the 'Grand Scheme'!"

Zero glanced over at X with a look that said 'What's he talking about?' X just shrugged and shook his head. There was a moment of tense silence. Zero kept a close eye on Razor, who seemed to be content to just stand there with the same cocky grin.

Trying to keep his attention on the target, X fought to overcome a wave of fatigue that had suddenly washed over him. Razor took note of this. Looking at his wrist as if checking a watch, Razor turned around to face Zero, his eyes thinning into slits and his smile growing larger than Zero thought was possible.

"Show Time." The Maverick sneered in a voice that made Zero go cold.

Reeling with a sudden fit of dizziness, X gave a surprised, shallow gasp as a burst of sharp pain ravaged his chest. His hands flew to his mouth as one powerful cough escaped his throat. Slowly he lowered his trembling fingers and stared numbly at the thick, dark, bluish-gray liquid that lay in his white palm.

Zero tore his gaze away from the Maverick to stare with bewildered shock at his friend, catching a glance from X's emerald-green eyes that contained such an indescribably piercing fear that the very emotions made Zero feel sick. Razor didn't waste a moment of this distraction, he slipped passed Zero with master agility and disappeared down the alleyway.

His Maverick Hunter instincts taking over, Zero spun around, eyes franticly searching for the Maverick. "Aarrgh!" he growled with anger at himself for letting the target get away, but all of his ire was replace by pure horror when he heard X's choked, heart rendering cry of agony.

Zero turned to find X stumbling toward him, one arm wrapped around his midsection, the other across his chest, the blue clad Reploid's face a mask of pain. Zero watched helplessly as his comrade took barely two steps before dropping to his knees and then to the ground, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. A chilling fear gripped him as he rushed to were X lay. He crouched on the ground next to X and rolled the limp body over, X's blank eyes staring up into the red android's face before closing as he passed into unconsciousness.

Zero yanked off the dark blue helmet that his partner wore, revealing the Blue Bomber's fluffy, untamed, dark russet hair. He placed one hand on the Hunter's soft, round face, it's color deathly pale and distorted with pain. The artificial skin was icy and had a clammy texture, already a damp sweat was starting to form, causing locks of his mane to stick to the moist flesh. X was still gasping in air, which was a good sign. Although Reploids didn't need to breath in order to live, it meant that he still had enough working energy to survive.

Glancing around, Zero tried to calm himself and think of what to do. His head snapped up as an important thought inserted itself in his mind. Removing his own helmet, his pale blonde hair cascading down his back and shoulders in it's escape from confinement, Zero placed his ear to the Reploid's slowly heaving chest. He could make out a faint heartbeat. It sounded very weak and distant, as if laboring just to hold on. The Rad Raider gave an anxious moan. "Not good…"

Picking his helmet up off the ground, Zero pushed a small, rectatangular button on it's side, maunually activating it's communicator.

"Alia! Do you read me! Alia!...?" The only response was static.

"**Noooo****…..!**" Zero wailed, slamming his fist into the hard ground, causing the surface to crumble and shatter. "There's too much interference here because of all the damaged electrical lines!" In desperation he threw his gaze to the sky.

"Wait…" he gasped as a notion entered his mind. "That building… what if…? Just maybe…"

With one last glance at his suffering companion, Zero placed his helmet on his head, it's ponytail rap automatically snaking around his hair and pulling it back into place, and dashed toward one of the damaged structures that had a radio annteana on top.

Using his plasma charged saber, Zero slashed open the front doors of the broadcasting station. He sprinted across the demolished lobby, hurdling large chunks of concrete. Rushing down the halls, he checked every room, having to forcefully blow open some of the doors. After what felt like hours, Zero finally found what he was liking for on the second floor. There, at the back of the room, stood the controls for the radio tower. A slab of concrete lay on the console.

Without hesitation, Zero grabbed the slab and tossed it across the room. Pulling off his helmet with one hand and opening a panel in the slightly smashed console with his other, he got down on his knees. He placed his red and white headgear on the floor next to him and reached into the wire filled mass that had been revealed.

_Thank goodness I'm some what of a technician. _

After several minutes of burning his finger tips with hotwiring, Zero managed to connect his helmet's communicator to the control system. Grasping the top of the console, he pulled himself to his feet and flicked a switch on the control panel, crossing his fingers in hopes that the system still worked and would be able to strengthen his transmitter signal enough to bypass the interference and reach the Head Quarters.

"Please work, please work…" he pleaded in a wisper. A red light illuminated on the consoles surface.

"Alia, can you hear me! **Oh please answer!" **At first all he could hear was static, then, when he was just about to give up hope, a voice spoke up, fighting to over come the impediment.

" **fphzt**… is Alia… This is Alia. Do you read me? Is that you… **fphzt**… e… ro? … Zero! Your signal is terrible! **Crackle** … re you alright? Is s… thing wrong!" the voice called with a rising note of apprehension.

Zero gave a long sigh of relief.


	5. Nanobot

Chapter6 – Nanobot

Maverick Hunter H.Q. 11:24pm Jan. 17

The normal orderly fashion of the West Wing had broken down into chaos. The halls were abuzz with chatter as everyone quickly moved aside to make a clear path. A medical team consisting of three rescue personal and two duplicates of Life Savor wheeled a stretcher with a motionless blue figure down the corridor at a harrowing pace. Zero, General Signas and Alia followed hot on the heels of the team.

"Give me his stats!" bellowed Life Savor to one of his medical personnel.

"Pupils dilated and eyes are glazed, sir." The Medic reported in swift but articulate secession. "Temperature control system has gone into shock, his body is over heating, currently running a fever of 150.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Sir, at this projected rate, if his internal temperature continues to rise, his soft circuits will start to melt. Memory and Core OS will be affected."

This report brought a deep, tense frown to Life Savor's face, he knew very well that if the Core OS were damaged, X's personality data would suffer or even become corrupt. If they managed to heal his body, his behavior would permanently have a gap in it, something they could never repair. Turning his head to look at another Medic without a moment to spare, he began barking orders.

"You! I want this Reploid on a stabilizing energy I.V. as of _two hours ago!_ Let's move it people!"

The Medic he had been glaring at gave a curt nod and disappeared down an adjoining passage way. Immediately Life Savor turned his attention back to the first Medic, who had been analyzing more data with a hand held scanner while the team rushed down the long corridors. The Reploid had short, silver, straight hair and wore the usual nondescript white medical uniform of the Med Unit, which bore a red cross on one shoulder. He had soft, caring orange eyes and a rounded build.

"How are his other operating systems, Cade?" Life Savor inquired in a calmer tone, a faint hint of worry building in his normally strictly-disciplined voice. Cade shook his head sadly, his mounting despair plainly evident.

"Energy filter is failing, no signs of respiratory system activity. His operating energy is at a critical low." Cade lowered his gaze. "He's going down hill fast, Sir." The Medic commented in a quite voice. Life Savor muttered something under his breath that was thankfully undistinguishable.

"Someone get me an energy booster!" he shouted to his recruits. An amber eyed human female with smooth, shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair reached into a small charcoal pouch she wore at her waist. She extracted a minute syringe filled with a serum of liquid energy that was nearly transparent, aside from a strange metallic-purple tinge, and handed it to Live Savor.

"What about his heart?" the doctor inquired as he made a thin incision in the light metal covering on the upper arm of the uniform and injected the booster into X's energy flow. The armor's recall had been disabled due to the lack of energy and the protective battle suit would have to be removed manually before the team could do anything for him.

Cade's head snapped up in a startled manner and he gave Life Savor a bewildered look. "This is X we're dealing with, remember? What about his heart!" the head surgeon snapped at Cade as he scowled at the Reploid's distracted behavior. Cade snapped out of his daze and went back to work.

"He has almost no pulse." The Reploid informed his chief after a few seconds. "His heart beat is irregular and so weak it could stop at any moment." Life Savor drew in a sharp, terse hiss, his eyes now flashing with a sudden anxiety as Cade's words sank in. Then a look of determination crossed his face, replacing the uncharacteristic appearance of unease in his features.

"Listen to me, all of you." He began, only continuing once he had the attention of the entire team. "We can't let that happen. X's heart is like your energy generators. We _can't _let it _stop_!"

The team wheeled the stretcher through the double doors to the Emergency Room, leaving their pursuers to wait in the corridor outside.

The hours that ticked by felt more like days. General Signas sat on a bench along one wall of the wide corridor, slouched over, his elbows resting on his legs and his hands folded in front of his mouth, fingers resting under his nose. He had his gaze fixed at the patterns of the floor, his robotic mind in a whirl of deep thought; he couldn't understand how X could have fallen so ill in such a short amount of time.

_He was perfectly fine this morning. Now…_ All the General could do was exhale wearily.

Alia was perched on another bench along the same wall. Strands of molten gold hair had worked their way out of the roll she wore at the nap of her neck, streaming down to her shoulders like silky ribbons. Her hands fidgeted in her lap as her eyes roamed, searching for any sign of reassurance. She glanced over at the General, who only shook his head as if to say 'I'm sorry'.

As she continued her nervous observation, her gaze would occasionally fall to Zero. Even in her own state of confusion and grief, she couldn't help but feel that he was taking this the hardest, knowing that despite his calm outward-ness, he was aching fiercely inside. X and Zero had been inseparable ever since Zero had joined the Hunters all those years ago.

Alia would watch her blonde haired friend for a few minutes with worried, sympathetic eyes as he paced the tan and white tiled floor of the large hall. He would make a few passes across the surface with his hands behind his back; fingers locked, eyes desperate, then turn with a look of intense expectation toward the Medical Bay doors. After a brief moment, he would give a distraught sigh, drop his head and continue pacing. And the uneasy silence would once again descend.

This routine was continued for a short while longer, until the lull was abruptly broken by a frustrated cry from Zero when he could no longer stand the waiting.

"What could be taking them so long!" he wailed, stopping in mid-stride to turn toward Signas and Alia, sweeping his arms out to his sides dramatically in an unconscious attempt to display his anguish. Alia could hear every note of despair in his baritone voice.

Signas looked up from his meditations. "Zero," he said with all the confidence and reassurance he could muster, "I'm sure Life Savor is doing all he can for X. We just have to be patient."

Alia rose from where she had been seated and placed a tender hand on her crimson clad companion's shoulder, trying her best to reinforce the General's statement. Zero searched the fathoms of her cobalt eyes, then quickly turned his head aside, ineffective trying to hide the longing expression he knew she must have already seen. He wanted to believe…

"I know, General Signas." Zero responded after a moment in a strange, tight, quite voice, his face still averted. "But, it's so hard… waiting… not knowing… not being able to do anything." Alia's hand slipped from Zero's arm as he walked forcefully over to the wall and pounded his fist against it several times, causing the metallic surface to develop a shallow dent, trying to vent some of the frustration he felt. He finally came to a rest with his left arm high on the wall, his head pressed to his forearm and his right fist held weakly in the last place he had punched the hard surface.

"_I just feel so_ **_useless_**!" he cried, his body heaving with a heavy sob.

As she watched him struggle with his emotions, some how Alia knew that, had Zero been human, those sobs would have been accompanied by tears. But she scolded herself for thinking such silly thoughts at a time like this; she knew X was the only Reploid that could actually cry, but Zero's grief just seemed so acute.

Zero turned his back to the wall, slowly sliding to the floor, where he pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in his arms. "I never wanted to feel this way again." he whispered in a voice so quite the others did not hear him. These feelings brought a painful memory back to haunt him. He found that the recollection caused the tightness in his chest to increase and his throat to go dry, making it even harder to breath.

**--------------------**

It had happened about six years ago, during the Maverick Wars. After the continued success with the Maverick Hunters, the human delegates of the government had established a second group of Hunters known as Repliforce.

Repliforce had started out as an adequate faction and one of its members, Iris, younger sister to Repliforce's second in command; Colonel, had become close friends with Zero. But it was not meant to last.

Before the end of Repliforce's first year in service, a Maverick riot broke out. When the force responded too late to the situation, the Maverick Hunters were dispatched to clean up the resulting mess. This event caused much tension to begin to build between the two peace keeping organizations. Then, just a few weeks later, Zero had been given an assignment to investigate the recent attack on a floating city sector known as the Sky Lagoon. When he arrived on the site, he found and rescued Iris from a giant dragon-like Mechanoloid; a non-living robot.

Sending Iris back to the Hunter Base, Zero continued his exploration of the sector, eventually meeting Magma Dragoon, one of Repliforce's Commanders, at the center of the city where the generator that kept the Sky Lagoon afloat was located. The area was in shambles and the generator had been damaged. Dragoon claimed that he did not know who the culprit was, but advised that Zero follow his lead and leave before he went down with the Lagoon. Having no other option, Zero fled the Sky Lagoon, arriving back on ground level to view the decimation of the city that the large floating 'island' had landed on.

Colonel arrived at the same location just shortly after Zero. With an air of distrust, Zero had questioned Colonel's reasons for his unit occupying a location they had not been dispatched to, pointing out that them being at the Sky Lagoon during its sabotage looked suspicious. Colonel had replied simply that they had come in search of his sister. After informing Colonel that Iris was in good hands, Zero had ordered the Reploid to disarm and return with him to the Hunter Base to straighten out the matter, but Colonel had refused, claiming that to drop his weapon would be a disgrace to his honor and the honor of Repliforce.

Because of the officer's actions, the humans labeled Repliforce as Mavericks and a threat to be terminated. Believing to have been unjustly accused, Repliforce declared war.

Zero had been ordered to deal with Colonel, and despite Iris' protests to both Zero and her brother to stop the fighting, neither would admit that they were in the wrong. This conflict eventually led to Colonel's demise.

Upon receiving word of her brother's death, Iris was so stricken by grief that she went insane, vowing to claim revenge against Zero in her brother's name. Iris borrowed a Ride Armor from Repliforce's artillery and assaulted Zero during one of his hunts for the remaining Repli leaders. Her attacks were so relentless, that Zero had had no choice but to defend himself. He had managed to destroy the Armor, but its explosion had caused irreparable damage to Iris' own body.

As she lay dieing in Zero's arms, Iris' mind had cleared and her sanity had returned. With the last of her energy, she had confessed the reasons she had so desired to be near him always; a deep love and bond had developed for the lone crimson Hunter. It was then that the emotions that had been hidden from even Zero him self had surfaced. To late had his love for her finally bloomed, leaving him with bitter-sweet anguish at the discovery. Iris had smiled at him one last time, then her eyes had wearily slide shut forever.

In that fateful hour, as despair threatened to crush his spirit, Zero came to a realization. X was the only real friend he had left, the only person that truly understood him and that he could truly trust. From that moment forward, Zero vowed that he would protect X by any means necessary.

But now, once again, there was nothing he could do. Zero was so afraid he would lose X, just as he had so long ago lost Iris…

**--------------------**

The sounds of metal scraping on the floor broke into Zero's thoughts, causing him to look up. Signas had risen from his place along the wall, and was headed toward Alia and Zero. As he continued down the passage past the two Hunters, the General gave Zero an understanding glance.

"Wait here." He instructed as he disappeared through the Med Bay doors. With a glance of startled puzzlement that matched Zero's, Alia took a seat on the floor next to him. Neither said a word, there was no way they knew how to express what they were feeling. Zero rested his head on his knees with a heavy sigh, he felt so tired and drained.

When Signas reentered the hallway, despite how he had felt before, Zero was instantly on his feet to approach the General.

For a moment the two Reploids just stood facing each other, till finally Zero built up his courage enough to speak the question waiting on the end of his tongue.

"How… is he?"

Signas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. Finally he spoke up.

"They are still working on stabilizing his condition. Life Savor can't seem to determine what's afflicting him." Signas shook his head sadly; he was still trying to make sense of it all.

Zero's breath caught in his throat and his pupils shrank slightly when he heard this report. His head dropped crestfallenly.

Signas began to pace the hall, speaking his thoughts aloud to no one in particular.

"Life Savor said X had been briefly conscience, said he was delirious… mumbling something. All they could make out was Zero's name and something about Nanotech, Data Bank, Sigma, and file "M".

Zero's head snapped up abruptly. He no longer paid any attention to the General's dialogue, instead focusing on an idea that had struck him. After pondering for a brief moment, he suddenly interrupted Signas' reflections.

"…Alia!" Zero said quickly as he grabbed the blonde haired girl's arm in one hand. "Hadn't X had you look up something for him related to the City Data Bank? Do you still have those files!"

"Yes, well…"

"Good! Come with me!" Zero exclaimed as he dashed down the corridor, dragging the startled Alia along behind him.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see…?" General Signas trailed off, turning around to find the hall behind him empty. He stood where he was, befuddled as to where everyone had gone.

Zero sprinted down a long corridor with Alia right behind him. As they passed a darker side hall, Alia noticed a faint sound coming from somewhere in its expanse. Grabbing Zero by the hand to bring him to a halt, Alia moved quietly toward the sound. "Hold on a sec, Zero…" she called to him in a slightly distracted manner.

Zero was about to make a hot retort, but held his tongue, and against his desire to continue toward the archives, followed Alia into the hall.

As she approached the back of the hall, Alia could make out the faintest silhouette of a person. Sitting on the floor in a corner, her back to the wall and her knees pulled to her chest, head down, was a small Reploid girl. Crouching in front of the girl, Alia realized that the small robot was whimpering mutedly.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a gentle, soothing voice as she ran her fingers through the girl's soft bangs.

By this time, Zero had reached Alia's side, and kneeling on the floor next to her, his impatient expression melted when the girl looked up.

"Micha…?" he whispered in a curious tone. Micha looked from one to the other, her small childish face wrinkled with deep sorrow. She dropped her head back to her knees, and shook it a few times. "I…I heard about… what happened to… X." she choked out between tearless sobs. "Is…he…he… gonna' be…okay?" Alia was slightly taken aback, not sure how to answer.

The question brought a stinging sensation to Zero's heart. Leaning forward he wordlessly gathered the small surprised Reploid into his arms, pulling her head close to his chest, his blonde ponytail spilling over her shoulder and across her back. A short quivering sigh escape him, his eyes pinched tightly closed. It was all Alia could do to sit back and watch in stunned silence. After a moment, releasing Micha, who only sank back on her haunches in quiet shock, Zero slowly got to his feet and walked down the hall as if in a daze. Reaching the end of the passage, he looked back once without really seeing, then disappeared around the corner.

Alia managed to catch up to her red clad companion, huffing and puffing, just as the main archive system booted up. With Zero sitting before the computer's keyboard and Alia guiding him, the two Reploids began a frantic search.

Zero's fingers flew like the wind as he scanned over the saved data files and other related fragments he had found, searching for clues to retrace and eventually solve the mystery the now ill X had started. The clues they did manage to find only seemed to lead from one document to another.

After nearly half an hour of browsing file after numerous file, the team finally happened upon the Data Bank robbery report that X had originally accessed. Zero was about to brush the file aside as unhelpful, when Alia suddenly spoke up, musing mostly to herself. "I remember X having me look up further information on this topic. He'd seem particularly interested in it. Still strikes me as strange that a Mav would return anything it stole. And what would one want with medical files in the first place, of all things?"

Zero paused to think for a minute. "Yes, he'd had me inquire to you about that. What was the other thing he had wanted to know about? ...Nanotech I believe it was. In fact, just a few days later, we visited the NanoCorps. company. Something had definitely sparked his interest in the subject all of a sudden." Zero turned back to the computer, deciding that maybe he should give the report a little more thought.

Quickly skim reading the article, Zero finally came to the footer at the bottom.

"Hey! I think I found it! There's a reference to Nanotech right here! And the 'last accessed' date indicates that it is most likely that this is a report that X read as well. I think we're on the right track!" Alia leaned over his shoulder to get a closer look at the small panel that Zero was pointing to.

Sitting back in his chair and crossing one leg over the knee of the other, Zero placed the side of his hand across his mouth with his fingers curved toward his palm and his thumb resting vertically along his cheek.

The end of his thumb touched the base of one of the longest gashes below his left eye, which had been completely forgotten about with all that had happened. He wore a deep thoughtful frown that made the cut skin pull tighter, but he ignored the slight burning.

"A theft at the Data Bank… file 'M' stolen… but what would Nanotech have to do with all this? Something's still amiss."

Alia stepped away from the console and started pacing the room, thinking about the possibilities. It wasn't long before she returned to Zero's side.

"Why don't you run a keyword related search? Open up the search engine's master control system and then create a LAN with the rest of the archives by changing the settings from 'local' to 'full system access'.

Now close down the control panel and switch to 'isolated subject' and use Nanotechnology as one keyword and something else for the other. The system should now be able to pinpoint articles that contain the keywords or that have references to them."

Zero did as he was told, changing the search settings. "Remind me later to thank you for finishing top in your Programming School." He quipped as he was making the final adjustments.

"Alright, where do we begin?"

"Hmm… why not try 'nanotech' and 'data bank'." Alia instructed Zero. The Rad Raider typed in the keywords and punched enter. A list of five matches appeared on the screen in seconds. But after reading through them, Zero sighed with disappointment.

"They don't contain anything that helps. They all just talk about how the Data Bank provides local nanotech research facilities with information. We already know that."

"What about 'nanotech' and 'Mavericks'." Alia suggested. Zero entered the search.

"Nothing useful." He replied with a disgruntled shake of his head.

"'Nanotech' and 'robbery'?"

……….

"Zilch."

The team continued the search using keywords from the report for another ten minutes before taking a break, all of their work was coming up fruitless. In frustration, Zero rested his forehead in his hands. He wasn't about to give up, but was quickly becoming quite flustered. Alia was once again pacing the room, wracking her computer like mind for more word combinations that might produce results. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks.

"We haven't tried 'Reploid Medical files' yet."

Zero didn't say anything, just nodded and input the words. The results that came up displayed one match. Zero quickly read through the article and as about to regard it as another failure when a few word caught his eye.

"Wait a sec. It mentions that company that X and I visited a few days ago. It appears that the Data Bank has been providing the corporation with medical information on their volunteers."

Alia and Zero exchanged a brief look. Zero rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder exactly what's in that file that Razor's 'boss' would want so bad…" he said in an undertone to himself.

"Alia…. Does the Hunter Base have access to those Medical files?" he inquired this time aloud to his female companion.

Alia gave Zero a quizzical glance. "Well, of course we do… Life Savor has to have access to those." Zero was barely listening; instead he was intent on bringing up the Medical archives main security page.

"Do you know the password?" the Rad Raider asked in a flat tone, catching Alia off guard.

"Uh-um… y-yes I do." she stammered, his bluntness had startled her. "B-but, Zero, I… We really shouldn't…"

Alia sucked in a sharp breath as Zero suddenly spun in his seat to face her.

"Alia, please…" Zero pleaded with her, the spark of a strange emotion flickering in his desperate eyes. Alia stared at him for a moment, then her resolve melted and she nodded in agreement.

The Medical file 'M' turned out to be a very extensive list of names with information about their owners attached to each in a separate file. The system was set up in alphabetical order, reading like a phone directory. Alia guessed it must have contained data on just about every single Reploid in existence whose name started with the letter 'M'.

Not really knowing what he expected or what he was looking for, Zero scrolled through the list of monikers. He was mildly surprised to find out that even a few Maverick names were listed. After reaching the 'Me' section, the search came to an abrupt pause.

There on the glowing screen, written in bold black lettering, was the name 'Mega Man X'.

"Why am I so surprised?" Zero mumbled aloud, growing slightly annoyed with himself. He looked to Alia as she stated what they had both been thinking.

"I guess we just got so used to calling him X that we forgot what his full name was." They both gave a small nervous chuckle.

Zero pivoted back to the computer and double clicked on X's name, the program prompting for a different password, which Alia quickly provided. The contents of the file followed the same format as all the others, with the exception of a small red script preceding the normal entry. The script contained a date and…

"This file was hacked into!" exclaimed Zero in an incredulous voice. "But wha…" he was about to say something else, but abruptly cut himself off as he stared into the distance, his eyes wide, his body rigid.

"Zero? Zero, are you alright!"

Zero did not hear as Alia desperately tried to get him to respond. His mind was in a whirl as he recalled an event he had previously overlooked.

**--------------------**

The Special Opps. Team had gathered in the Command Center to await X's victorious return from his battle with Sigma nearly a month ago. All eyes had turned toward the reception pad as X teleported into the room. Zero could remember how surprised they all were to discover that the Blue Bomber scarcely bore a mark. Normally X would finish a brawl with Sigma and need a fair share of medical treatment and time to recuperate afterwards. Recollection of how X reported his almost to easy win came to the Rad Raider.

During a break in the exchange between Commander and General, Douglas had inquired about a small gash on X's right wrist, the only wound anyone could detect.

X recounted how Sigma had had a large claw like weapon that he had swung out at one point during their fight. Slightly embarrassed to admit it, he told them all how he had grown a little cocky with the ease of the battle and misjudged the attack. The sharp blade had struck his arm, piercing through the gauntlet to skim the flesh underneath.

**--------------------**

_Oh Mets! And like the fools that we were, we let the matter slide! Life Savor didn't even examine the wound! _The mental keen flashed through Zero's mind as the truth dawned on him.

With a loud clang, Zero slammed his hands down upon the desk surface, bolting to a standing position. It was all Alia could do to dodge the chair as it tipped backwards due to its occupant's abrupt motion. Before the stunned female could put a question into words, Zero was racing across the room toward the door. Alia threw up her left hand, arm out stretched in front of her, fingers spread in a reaching gesture.

"Zero, where are you going?" she called out in an octave higher than her normal voice. But too late, he had already disappeared down the hall.

Zero sprinted through the Hunter Headquarters as fast as his feet would carry him. His boots droned out a hollow, rhythmatic pounding as they beat against the tiles of the corridors. At one point he skidded around a corner, and would have collided with the wall had it not been for his sharply horned reflexes. Continuing through the halls, he would often catch the attention of other Hunters who would turn to stare at him in question, those of higher rank realizing that to see a Commander tearing through the Base at top speed must mean that the reason was urgent.

Being oblivious to the watching eyes, only one thought had stuck in Zero's mind, the message he must deliver.

Zero came pounding into the large corridor that adjoined to the Med bay, huffing for breath but never slowing. The clatter caused General Signas to look up from where he was perched against the wall. Seeing the distressed Hunter's face, he instantly shoved away from where he was and began moving to intercept him.

"Zero….? Where were you? What's going on?"

Zero ran right past his superior without so much as a sideways glance, making his way to the large entry doors at the end of the hall, the Generals voice fading behind him.

Shoving open the double doors that lead to the Med bay, he darted his way down a short hall that lead to a second set of doors and a Medical Officer; his last obstacle.

Zero reached to open the entry way, but before he could even touch the metal surface, the Med Officer stepped into his path.

"I'm sorry, Commander, but you do not have clearance to pass beyond this point."

"To Hades with clearance!" Zero snapped as he pushed past the stunned officer and ducked through the shuttered doors that opened horizontally as he approached.

The Emergency Room was filled with a complex system of computer consoles and other equipment that served various functions. Despite all the devices arranged in the chamber, a fairly large area in the center of the room, where all the operations were preformed, remained clear of all obstructions. This space was now occupied by several Medics who darted purposefully around the room, and a small group who were still working furiously to save a life.

One of Life Savor's duplicates approached Zero, both surprise and irritation showing in his strong face. It was apparent that he had disapproved of Zero's presence as soon as he saw him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded of the blonde haired Hunter. "It had better be a good reason." The Doctor wasn't generally mean, but he was a serious man and didn't tolerate trivial interruptions. It was also plain that he and Zero still weren't on the best of terms; they probably never would be. Therefore, Zero knew he would have to press the importance of his cause.

"Life Savor, stop running virus scans, you won't find any viral signatures. I have reason to believe that it may be something else."

His tolerance already wearing thin, Life Savor glared at Zero skeptically. "And do you have sufficient evidence that this theory is concrete?"

"Well no… but please Life Savor, hear me out. I know this might sound crazy… but I've got an urgent feeling inside that's telling me we're over looking some thing important."

"I don't have time for your gut feelings, Zero. Now I suggest that you remove yourself from the premises and allow me to continue my work." Life Savor replied bluntly, turning to walk away, a sign that he was dismissing the matter.

His short temper instantly flaring to life at the Doctor's un-considering attitude, his determination to be heard resolute, Zero blundered forward in his argument, giving it one more shot.

"You yourself and your team haven't been able to asses the problem!" he growled angrily, "What do we have to lose at this point!"

Life Savor paused mid-stride. He was briefly silent, then started moving again, his course altering slightly. "You'd better not be wasting my time." He stated flatly.

Surprised at first, but catching on quickly, Zero followed Life Savor to where a large terminal was mounted a short distance from the operation facilities. On one of the systems multiple screens a rough schematic and other vital data was displayed. The system was used to run viral scans and give reports on them. Life Savor deactivated the auto scan programs.

"Alright, if it's not viral, what do you propose I search for then?..."

"Umm… try scanning for foreign substances or materials."

Life Savor once again glanced at Zero skeptically, but humored the Hunter and entered the new command into the program. While they waited for the results, Zero had to fight with himself to keep his eyes from wandering to the scene beyond Life Savor, not wanting to watch the activities of the Medical team as they operated on his closest friend for fear of what he might see; his innards ached enough already.

His daze was broken by a sudden sharp curse from Life Savor.

"What the…?... What is this!"

Zero glanced back at the console, seeing that the scan had finished. A screen to the left of the main monitor reported to have detected large amounts of what it described as being an organic metal substance.

"Dam, it was all over in his structure, yet the normal scans didn't show a single trace of it!" Life Savor mumbled a string of curses under his breath as he vehemently adjusted the scanning mechanisms in hopes of being able to better ascertain the identity of the substance. Zero simply remained silent as the Doctor red over his new findings twice in disbelief as he continued to make adjustments.

"What's going on here? Now it's telling me that this organic metal consists of independent particles. This isn't making any sense!"

The tension Zero felt escalated as he watched Life Savor tinker with a visual image the scan had compiled. The Doctor typed in lines of command, changing focus and prospective of the image and read outs until a distinguishable shape abruptly appeared.

Life Savor sank back in his chair with a weariness Zero couldn't recall ever seeing before in the Doctor's normally stubborn stamina. The Chief Medic shook his head slowly as he confirmed his thoughts with the computer's data streams.

"Nanorobotics…? But how can that be possible, they're not even beyond the testing stage yet. How did this happen?"

Zero's mouth pulled into a thin line as he contemplated the only answer he could think of.

"Remember about four weeks ago," he began in an oddly detached voice, "X reported back to the Base and told us of his encounter with Sigma?

The wound on his wrist… only sign he'd been in a fight at all…" he paused to organize his thoughts.

"Life Savor, I think that the weapon Sigma used to inflict that wound must have somehow been imbued with the Nanobots. He fought a pathetic fight deliberately, knowing that all he had to do was land one minor blow and he would succeed. He had the whole thing planned out; he knew we wouldn't pay any attention to such a miniscule cut, and you yourself said that the Nanobots didn't show in any of the normal scans. That's why you couldn't find it in any of your routine checkups of X. It's been spreading this entire time, causing damage slowly so as not to reveal itself until it already had almost completely consumed his systems."

The realization of this sinisterly diabolical plot left them both in momentary silence as they exchanged glances.

Life Savor suddenly broke the lull. "But according to the computer's projected rate of Nanobot infiltrative growth, the end result should have been achieved about a week ago. So why didn't it show till now?"

"Was there anything that could have possibly interfered?"

"Hmm…" Life Savor pondered that thought. His eyes went wide as a notion struck him.

"Ah! When you and X returned from your leave, you told me what happened and requested that I place X in stasis slumber for the night. That could very possibly have delayed the Nanobot production and set it behind schedule."

Zero had to agree, everything was starting to make a startlingly scary sense.

Rising from his chair with renewed vigor, Life Savor placed his hands on the console top, took a deep breath and let it out in a quick snort, dispelling the last of his worry.

"Well." He said briskly. "With this new information we should be able to make some progress." He turned to leave and resume his work, but delayed a moment. Without even looking back, Life Savor spoke in an off hand manner. "Oh, don't mind what I said earlier about your evidence not being concrete."

Zero took that for an apology, or as close as he'd ever heard the stubborn old Reploid get to one.

"What I still don't understand is how Sigma got a hold of the means to create Nanobots." The Doctor said to himself as he walked away.

"I don't know," Zero whispered with a sudden flourish of hate at the mention of his nemesis, "but I'm going to find out…."

_---------------------------------------_

Yeah, I finally finished Chapter 6! _Turns into little chibi and does dance in circles _I hope you all liked it so far and will stick with me for the rest of the four or so chapters to come. Hope to see you at the end of the next one!

_Zero walks up behind her "_You _are_ planning to finish this, aren't you? I don't think X would appreciate being left as he is."

_Turns around quickly to look at him_ "What are you doing here! Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the next scene?"

"I've got time." _Zero replies nonchalantly._

_Turns back to audience "_Sorry. I have to deal with something."

_Pulls out large hammer, Zero's eyes get wide, she chases him off stage._

"What were you implying with that….? Are you saying I'm lazy!"


End file.
